Eggs aren't the cholesterol fiends they were once cracked up to be. In fact, they can be good sources of heart-healthy protein, vitamins, and minerals.

To eat eggs or not to eat eggs? That is a question many heart-conscious people have asked. For decades, eggs were vilified as a high-cholesterol food that some said to avoid at all costs.

The problem with eggs, as doctors and scientists saw it, was their wallop of dietary cholesterol. When your body has too much “bad” LDL cholesterol, it can build up in arteries and cause heart disease and stroke. But the recommendation to avoid eggs, proposed back in the 1960s, was based on little scientific evidence and fueled by studies in which animals were given far more cholesterol than people would normally eat.

Today, however, newer research has shown that the cholesterol in eggs may not be as high as it once was. When checking the cholesterol content of eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found only 185 milligrams of cholesterol — not the 213 milligrams previously reported. Today’s eggs are also shown to have more vitamin D. The difference may be due to changes in hens’ diets, according to researchers.

But are eggs healthy? “Yes, they are,” says Martha Daviglus, MD, PhD, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA). “Many people believe you shouldn’t eat eggs, and that’s just not correct.”

There’s still some debate among doctors over whether eating high-cholesterol foods increases the risk for heart disease. “It may just depend on the individual,” Dr. Daviglus says. Regardless, though, a generally healthy diet is important for everyone.

Nutrients Overlooked in Eggs

Despite their cholesterol content, eggs have always been an excellent source of high-quality protein and other key nutrients. For instance, eggs are one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. They also deliver many of the B vitamins — B6, B12, riboflavin, folate, and choline — nutrients that ironically are believed to help prevent heart disease.

A recent study by researchers in Canada found that eggs may also be a better source of antioxidants than previously thought. Antioxidants help control inflammation, which aids in the prevention of heart disease. University of Alberta scientists found that egg yolks have as many antioxidant properties as an apple.

One Egg or Two?

Even if you’re in excellent health, the AHA still recommends limiting daily cholesterol intake to 300 mg, and people with high cholesterol should have no more than 200 mg. For most people, that means there's room in a heart-healthy diet for one egg a day, depending on the other sources of cholesterol in their diets, says Rachel Johnson, PhD, RD, a nutrition professor at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the AHA.

However, if you have diabetes or heart disease, the recommendation drops to no more than three egg yolks per week, Daviglus notes.

Now You’re Cooking

It doesn’t matter whether your egg is boiled, over easy, scrambled, or fried — as long as it’s not cooked with butter. If you need some fat to prepare your eggs, use a few drops of heart-healthy olive oil, Daviglus recommends.

Better yet, because all the cholesterol in eggs — and nearly all the calories — is in the yolk, focus on the whites in your cooking. Try an omelet made of egg whites only or use one egg yolk and two or three egg whites. Toss in heart-healthy vegetables like asparagus, red peppers, spinach, or chunky salsa, and season with herbs and spices rather than salt, especially if you have high blood pressure. You can also use egg substitutes, which contain little or no cholesterol, in place of eggs.

You can make similar fixes in recipes that call for eggs as a leavening agent or to bind ingredients together. Substitute two egg whites or egg substitutes in place of each whole egg, and you won’t taste the difference in most recipes.

Also pay attention to what you eat with your eggs. An omelet with a whole-wheat English muffin, which is full of whole grains and fiber, is a much better choice for your heart than an omelet with white toast made from refined flour.

To control your daily cholesterol intake, remember to add up all possible sources — whether they come directly from your daily egg or from other foods that contain eggs. Read the labels of packaged foods to know whether eggs are among the ingredients and to check the cholesterol count.

It’s true — eggs have gotten a bad break over the years. And though the new facts don’t allow you to indulge in several a day, you can enjoy their tasty benefits in moderation. Eggs are indeed “incredibly edible” when it comes to heart-healthy foods.

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